Cape Town's sewage crisis: Scientists and citizens demand action amid rising pollution concerns

Cape Town's ongoing sewage pollution crisis has reached boiling point, igniting widespread outrage among environmental activists, scientists, and concerned citizens.

The fallout has led to a challenge and a bold call to action by Dr Cleeve Robertson, former chairman of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and a Project Blue participant, who is outraged that the City of Cape Town has resorted to attacking its own citizens for speaking out about the polluted waterways.

He has invited city officials to swim out into the ''poo plume'' off Camps Bay themselves to collect samples, which would then be analysed at accredited laboratories.

"I challenge (Mayor Geordin) Hill-Lewis, (Eddie) Andrews, (Zahid) Badroodien and (Gregg) Oelofse to swim out into the plume with me and collect a sample each to be analysed at SANAS accredited labs. Let's go! Every day for a month, come on!'' Roberston said.

This challenge comes amid mounting tension between the City and Project Blue. Independent tests conducted by Project Blue have contradicted the City of Cape Town’s water quality results, raising serious questions about the validity of Blue Flag certification for certain beaches.

At the heart of the controversy is Project Blue, a citizen-led initiative that aims to highlight the dangers posed by raw sewage entering local waterways and beaches.

In a Facebook post, Robertson criticised the City’s administration, particularly the Democratic Alliance (DA), for what he called "bullying" of credible scientists, a claim the city has denied. Robertson pointed out the City’s own water quality reports which acknowledge pollution risks, even at Blue Flag beaches.

"The City needs to fix it, not play PR games with smoke and mirrors!" Robertson said.

Robertson’s criticisms came in response to a media statement issued by the City, which accused Project Blue of using "dirty tricks" to undermine their findings.

According to water expert Professor Anthony Turton, despite the growing tension, grassroots movements and Project Blue remain steadfast in their mission. With raw sewage and pollution worsening across the country impacting not just Cape Town, but areas like the Hennops River and Milnerton Lagoon, citizens have rallied for greater accountability and transparency from local authorities. The situation has exacerbated the public trust deficit, particularly in regard to the Blue Flag beach certification process.

Turton described the crisis as emblematic of a national issue, where raw sewage is overwhelming aquatic ecosystems and public trust is eroding.

"Beaches are overwhelmed by pollution, and trust in the Blue Flag system is being eroded. Wherever you look, there's raw sewage flowing into our aquatic ecosystems," he said.

Turton also highlighted the growing frustration among communities, adding: "Public outrage is mounting, and a deepening trust deficit is widening between communities and the local municipalities meant to protect them. Frustration over government inaction is palpable, and in some instances, the aggressive responses from local officials have only fuelled polarisation and mistrust."

This erosion of trust is playing out starkly in Cape Town, where the discrepancies between City and Project Blue test results have ignited a national media firestorm.

"Disparate test results and questions over Blue Flag certification for select beaches have further eroded public confidence," Turton said.

''Authorities have conflated this activism with Project Blue’s findings, using it as a convenient scapegoat to deflect the public outcry.''

In response, Project Blue urges the public to amplify support for citizen scientists by sharing their concerns on social media using the hashtag #RethinkTheStink.

This grassroots initiative calls for better sampling and a greater commitment from local authorities to address sewage contamination.

The public’s voice has become a powerful tool in holding the City of Cape Town accountable for its failure to allocate funds for necessary infrastructure improvements, including the maintenance of wastewater treatment plants that discharge millions of litres of untreated sewage into the ocean daily.

Cher Poznanovich, a volunteer speaking on behalf of Project Blue, emphasised the alarming lack of financial commitment from the City, noting that no budget has been allocated to improve critical wastewater infrastructure.

"We want the pollution out of our waters," she said, underscoring the necessity for clean, healthy ecosystems.

''What is misleading is zero budget allocated by the City to improve the MOPs (marine outfall pipes) that pump millions of litres of sewage into our bays every day.

"The City has misled the public with vastly differing scientific results, and instead of engaging with us, accuse Project Blue of misleading the public.

''The scale of the pollution is staggering, with 55 million litres of sewage per day which are being discharged into the ocean, affecting local wildlife and recreational waters. No one wants to swim in poo, it's disgusting,'' she said.

Turton said the call for legal protection of citizen scientists is also growing.

As activists face intimidation and defamation from municipal authorities, there is an urgent need for legal support to ensure the continuation of Project Blue's vital work, he said.

''This is not just about sewage, it’s about trust, accountability, and safeguarding the health of our communities," said Turton.

IOL reached out to the City of Cape Town for a comment on the issue, and it provided the following statement: "The City has constantly based it decision-making on evidence and scientific consensus on all these matters and the same should be expected of critics and especially those that consider themselves professional scientists. Our dedicated professionals will continue to apply the current globally accepted standards for coast waters, which is the analysis of enterococci as an indicator of sewage pollution and associated human health risk."

IOL